All road bridges in Japan have been fitted with a seismic unseating prevention system to prevent bridge girders from falling during an earthquake. In the current design of Japanese highway bridges, the necessary strength of the system is prescribed to be 1.5 times the reaction force for the dead load of the bridge girder. In other words, the capacity is stipulated in terms of the dead load alone, with no consideration of the dynamic response of the bridge system.With the emergence of the seismic unseating prevention system as an important issue in Japan, much research has been conducted in recent years. However, most studies have focused on specific factors in bridge collapse such as cable capacity, while research on the design procedure for the unseating prevention system itself remains limited. The bridge unseating prevention system has been designed based on theoretical considerations under many assumptions because it is difficult to evaluate the operation of the system during an actual earthquake. It is necessary to ensure that the system functions adequately during earthquakes.In this study, the design of connecting devices for preventing bridge girders from becoming unseated during strong seismic motion is extended to include consideration of the velocity response of the bridge. The demand strength and cross-sectional area of the connecting cable are derived based on conservation of energy considerations. The demand capacity of the connecting cable is also defined for the worst case that the girder falls from the pier. The installation of shock absorber with optimum stiffness based on its deformation limit and the cable stiffness is found to reduce both the stress on the cable and the required cross-sectional area.